1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of automated interactive customer service. In particular, the present invention is an apparatus and method for providing caller-specific information in relation to an interruption in service.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet service subscribers are subject to occasional loss or degradation of service due to problems or failures within various network elements. Subscribers typically contact the technical support department of their internet service provider (ISP) upon such a loss or degradation of service. This contact accounts for a significant cost to the ISP for answering support calls. Due to the volume of calls that may be received during a network event, such as an outage, a customer may need to wait on hold for an extended period, only to reach an agent who may not be able to help them. Oftentimes, a service provider will provide generic Interactive Voice Recorder (IVR) messaging when outages occur. Messaging is also often played at the call center level.
Generic messaging is not fully responsive to customer's needs. Without user-specific information, a customer may not be certain if an outage applies to them and may still wish to talk to an agent. Also, with generic messaging, there is typically a delay between confirmation of a problem and posting of the IVR message, and it is typically during this delay time that the highest initial volume of calls can occur. Generic messages also create a negative perception of service because in most cases, the message is also heard by callers not impacted by the event in question. An outage detection application can be used to advise a caller of an outage when they call, however it is typically left up to the customer to retry their service until it is restored. This causes customer frustration and encourages premature callbacks to the ISP.
Typically, the service provider will provide generic information and request the customer to try their service again “later”. In some cases, an Estimated Time of Repair (ETR) may be offered. Another (costly) option is for a live agent to contact a customer when service is restored. Automated outbound calls can also be used but they are typically manually invoked and are not caller-specific.
Current systems that automatically handle a customer's call are not specific to the caller and generally are inattentive to the customer's need. There is a need for an improved automated response to a caller's reporting a problem with services.